P.E.D.'s are good for Sports! Random Rants from a fed up Brotha!

It’s Entertainment: I’m sorry to make people mad but the truth is it’s a product that is placed out there for our enjoyment. I go to games to see athletes do amazing and extraordinary things! If taking a drug makes them do it better, then why not? I believe the athlete should be made well aware of the damage that can be caused by using certain chemicals on their bodies. I want to see them running faster,hitting balls farther! It’s great television!

“What do Morals have to do with it?” Listen, this is a business. If you think someone isn't profiting off of these guys your nuts. Check out how much these professional leagues have generated off of these drug taking cheaters! It’s about money. Little Johnny shouldn't be looking up to a Sports figure for what he does to his body behind closed doors. He should look up to him for what he does on the field, period! When huge corporations stop making Billions of dollars off of these players. When ESPN gives back the millions, oh my bad, billions it makes from these athletes we can talk about Morals then. If you’re watching sports because of the character of the people playing it, then you’re watching for the wrong reason. I’m not watching my pastor play football for 3 hours, I’m watching a trained professional play the game he has dedicated his life to.

“The worst thing is they Lied about it!” This one may be the most laughable of all. Of course they lied about it. Their human. When’s the last time you went a year without lying about something. We all lie, every single one of us. “Yeah baby, umm she’s just a friend of mine”. “I was at Bob’s playing Monopoly last Friday night”. I don’t know about you but I personally have flat out lied to avoid a sticky situation. Even when I knew that they knew, I held on to that lie for dear life. I make penny candy money compared to these guys and I lie. I can’t imagine why a guy making millions of dollars would? Wow!

“They are cheaters taking the easy way out!” Ever seen what it takes to make it in major sports? When’s the last time you went to the gym from the time it opened till the time it closed? Lifted weights until you could hardly stand? How many surgically repaired hips have you had to endure? They worked their asses off to get to the point that the drugs could be of benefit anyway! If there was a pill that could take an overweight guy like me and make him Barry Bonds, there would be no need for Major league baseball. What would be the point? If everybody could do it, it wouldn't be entertainment to me!

“It’s just bad for the game?” Which game we talking about? We talking about the game in which millions of dollar are made because of the athletes and what they accomplished? Or are we talking about the game that we go play in our community on Sunday? How has the recent P.E.D’s scandal hurt the millions of people who play the game for fun and no compensation? It hasn’t! I can get a group of buddies together right now and go play a pickup game and have a ball. We as a group would be enjoying the purity of the game. No cameras, no endorsements just fun and friendship. Once I go watch a N.B.A. game ,that’s a business of fun and entertainment! They get paid to provide a service and they do whatever it takes to get an edge.

Finally you know what you hardly ever see? People in the sports world talking about the athlete who has retired. This guy can barely walk a mile without pain because of what he put his body through. How come people aren't calling in to stations all across the country appalled at the fact N.F.L. contracts are not guaranteed? You sign a multimillion dollar contract, blow your knee out and your owed little or nothing from the league. People don’t care about athletes, they care that they have someone to judge. Someone they can hold up to a holy standard they themselves can’t reach!. Do yourselves a favor folks, view it as entertainment and let it go!   

What If Lebron James Was Gay?

I was recently reading an article about Jason Collins. The N.B.A player who announced he was gay. I started to think to myself the following; What if it was a superstar who was gay? Would it be a non-issue like most people in the league and the Press are saying? If Lebron wore a bra would we look at the situation different? We are talking about arguably the most talented athlete on the planet!

When I say bra I don’t mean if the Lebron was a lady but what if after winning his second consecutive O’Brien trophy he announced to the millions watching that he was gay? Keep in mind that James is already the most scrutinized figure in sport as is. The constant comparison’s to Jordan, his previous inability to perform in big games. The ridiculous cries from the blood thirsty media that he lacks a killer instinct. If Lebron was gay would we look at all sports different? Is that what it takes to put this whole issue to bed?

Listen, I for one could give a damn if a player is gay or straight, a descendent of Mars or Pluto, if his jump shot is on point I say; “Put him in!” Truth is that’s my own personal feeling but it’s more complicated then that I know. In team sports there is a bonding between men that rarely occurs in other walks of life. If you don’t believe me, try this. The next time a co-worker of yours does an amazing job at work, walk up to him and say “good job dog” and slap him on his ass! This type of behavior is routine in the sports world and is widely accepted as just part of the game.  Showering and walking around the locker room guys trust that no other player is checking them out or admiring their body. Guys even play pranks on each other in the shower. There is a bond that is like no other between men in sports. Does a teammate who knows another teammate is gay feel hesitant to play or act a certain way around that teammate? Sure he does! Funny thing is that gay teammate probably isn’t interested in the other player anyway but the elephant in the room has caused a moment of pause.

I applaud Collins for having the stone’s to come out and stand on that fragile ledge. However that ledge becomes a 80 foot high tightrope walk if the athlete is at the top of his profession. It’s my opinion that it will take a big time superstar in a major sport to come out publicly, while in his prime, to really bring us together on this matter. The key here is in his Prime! “Why is it important he be in his prime?” you ask. Because the lights will be on that athlete all the time and the world will constantly be reminded of the circumstances surrounding him. “Why a Superstar?” you ask. Well let me ask you this: Can you honestly say that with all the movement that is going on in the N.B.A. right now that you have spent time recently thinking or giving serious thought to the Jason Collins announcement? A more prominent sports figure would  force us to consider our point of view on a very sensitive matter. I believe that perception changes only when we have no other choice but to deal with the issue head on.

Sweat To Swagg

If you love hoop like I do than you can’t wait to stand up and defend the athletes and their behavior. While watching a recent N.B.A. playoff game at a local bar, I was sitting next to a gentleman who was quite disturbed by the way professional athletes showboat and make gestures that bring attention to themselves. “Why does he have to slap his chest and stare like a freak at the crowd? Who does he think he is?  Just play the game!” After a thunderous reverse dunk the amazing athlete on the big screen was in full out celebration. Waving his hand in the air and gesturing to the crowd to get up, "The Rim Destroyer", is now on his way to the bench as a timeout had just been called by the opposing teams coach. As I slowly sip my foamy beer the gentlemen begins in again about the way today’s athletes are so full of themselves and how they should “act like they have been there before when they do something great or helpful for their squad”.

I am by nature a person that loves to debate and argue. O.k., that’s a lie. I’m a stubborn S.O.B who pounds his point of view down someone’s throat until they walk away or take a swing at me! Knowing myself very well and not wanting to cause a scene I think to myself. “It’s just SWAGG!!!!”

The gym in south beach is like any other gym in the world that has a regulation size hoop. At the moment the 6’7 220 pound professional bends his knee at the correct angle, catches the ball with his hands in the familiar acceptance position and whizzes off another shot. This is number 425 and he won’t stop until he has made 500 shots! Not till he shoots 500 shots, until he makes 500 shots! He will put up anywhere between 1,000 and 1,500 shots before the nights over depending on his accuracy. SWEAT!

 With the moonlight casting upon his socked body he struggles to catch his breath. The hill he has been conquering up and down for the last hour and a half is starting to show signs of fatigue as   the professional catches his breath and begins his next trip up. Muscles aching and crying out for mercy are ignored as the mad man races against himself to reach the top. It’s now 3: 30 in the morning eastern time. The birds that normally begin to land on the park benches aren't even up yet as he powers thru his routine. SWEAT!

My point is the celebration isn’t always about the moment. What it’s really about is the effort! On our screens we witness the likes of Kobe Bryant taunting and show boating after fantastic plays. Lebron James yelling as he demoralizes a lesser player on a nasty dunk. But when the camera goes off we don’t see the millions of hours of practice on top of practice that it took to put that athlete into a position to show boat. I mean doesn’t Seth Curry have the right to grab a camera and look into it and say “My gosh I’m hot right now?” He was the one in the gym shooting thousands of jumpers after practice. What’s wrong with De’andre Jordan letting out a primal scream as he races back down the court after posterizing an opponent? He was the one running hills at 3 am to keep his legs strong and developed.

Listen, sometimes players can take it too far. For instance, by not getting back on defense or getting a technical for taunting at a crucial point in the game. When your swagg hurts the overall chemistry of your team I could see how that would be looked down upon. But overall it must be noted that swag is not the enemy! Turning sweat into swagg is the reason the League is what it is today!

Let the games begin!!!!!!

“Hot damn! I guess ya’ll set it off!!!” Ice cube coined the phrase in his rebellious rebuttal song aimed at his former group N.W.A. The Miami Heat has sounded the starter’s pistol and everyone is off to the races. The arms race is in full swing as NBA teams gather all of their information and open up their treasure chest and begin to assemble their own rebuttal aimed toward the Miami Heat! It has long been claimed that imitation is the best form of flattery but this is getting insane! Teams have been sucked into a dangerous tornado of high priced free agents and arming the organization with quick and fast solutions in pursuit of the shiny “Mr. O'Brien trophy” that is bestowed on the last team standing at the end of the season.

I must admit, as a fan it is almost exhilarating to watch the season be continued and drawn out with NBA deals and contract negotiations dominating the news cycles. In my heart it’s cool to have something interesting to talk about as it relates to the association of basketball. The problem, of course, lays in the results of such a frenzy. If we have learned anything it’s that big name free agent signings don’t necessarily equal success. A few years back the Lakers tried this with an aging Gary Payton, Karl Malone, Shaq and Kobe. Anybody wanna guess how many championships that produced? Absolutely none. Even the combining of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and K.G. only produced one championship. Let’s face it, even that Celtic team was lucky to win the NBA championship.

Most recently, the Spurs who have been the model of consistency, have shown the true way to building a first class organization that fosters winning. Do you know how many teams are consistently following that model? The exact same number of NBA championships won by Carmelo Anthony; zero. Not one team in the association is following the Spurs model of success and it begs the question why? The Spurs have kept the same coach and core roster together for close to 12 years. In that time they have won multiple championships, consistently been a factor in the western conference and played the game the right way. So why isn't that formula being shared around the league?  I’ll tell you why, because it doesn't pay!

The sooner that fans realize that this is a business and only a business the easier it is to see the reason behind the recent behavior of the league. Would it shock you if I told you that the New York Knicks are one of the most valuable franchises in the league and they haven’t won anything important in quite some time now? The Spurs aren't even in the top 5 as far as money maker organizations in the association and they are by far the most successful in the modern era.

I am, in my opinion, one of the biggest basketball fans on the planet but I have long realized that the NBA, in order to continue to grow, must stay star driven and dunking. The fundamentals of the game that are so lauded upon by the likes of George Karl and Doc Rivers are great but they don’t sell tickets. These days trades are made for one reason and one reason only…money! I’m sure I’m not telling you anything you haven’t already heard but let me finish with this. The diehard fan that gets into arguments over which team is better, why the Pistons would take this player over that player and so on, you are the reason that the NBA doesn’t just come out and say we don’t care if we win or lose but if we are a successful business. They have people who get paid a great and handsome salary to inform NBA owners exactly what the sports fanatic wants and needs to hear. Personally I don’t have a problem with any of this. Why you ask? Well because for me it’s all just entertainment and we are definitely getting our monies worth!